Why multi-generational living is becoming more common in Canada

For Scot Hein, living steps away from his two-year-old granddaughter is an "extraordinary" blessing. He can spend time with her every day, whether it's for storytime or playing in the garden. 

The living arrangement was made possible because his daughter and son-in-law built a smaller home in his backyard in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood. 

"We made the land work for us … to leverage housing for our next generation of family," said Hein, 67. His daughter Mary Hein and son-in-law Arran McAteer moved into the 1,400 square-foot, rose-coloured wood-frame house two years ago.

The Heins are among a growing number of Canadian families sharing their property with different generations.

WATCH |  A look inside the homes of three multi-generational families in B.C.:

With British Columbia seeing the highest rents in Canada and detached homes easily costing $1 million, splitting a mortgage with several family members or moving into a smaller home in your parents' backyard are two ways families can cut costs and support each other.

"It's too expensive everywhere. And living together, you can share everything," says Surjit Singh, whose family immigrated from Italy in 2018 and were able to collectively purchase their first home in Abbotsford, around 60 kilometres east of Vancouver, in 2021. 

"It's very hard to pay all these mortgages in this time for Canadians, but ... we are lucky we are living together," said Singh, 44. 

Across Canada, the number of properties shared by multiple generations, two or more families, or one family living with unrelated people has grown by 45 per cent over the past 20 years — totalling almost one million homes in 2021, according to 2022 Statistics Canada data.

And the number of multi-generational households is expected to grow, experts say, as governments of all levels make it easier to renovate or build smaller homes on existing family lots.

The province of B.C. says for decades, outdated zoning rules have meant most new homes have been condos or single-family homes, which are financially out of reach for many people entering the housing market. 

But in 2023, B.C. introduced legislation in part allowing secondary suites — with a separate kitchen and living space in a larger home — and detached units in backyards like laneway homes on single-family lots. A deadline of June 30 has been set for local governments to bring current bylaws into compliance with the new legislation. 

A federal tax credit also provides a tax refund on building a secondary dwelling for qualifying family members.

Multi-generational living isn't new. For centuries, different cultures have embraced the concept and the ways it connects older and younger generations.